BRANDON — The Otter Valley Union High School softball team closed its regular season with a pair of wins, including an upset of rival Fair Haven, to finish 7-9 and nail down a first-round home game in Division II. The Otters will be seeded either No. 7 or 8 and probably host either Hartford or Harwood.
This past Wednesday the Otters scored four times in the seventh inning to surprise the host Slaters, 6-2. Fair Haven finished at 13-3 and will be the No. 2 seed in Division II, and during the game senior Slater ace pitcher Olivia Bowen fanned 16 and recorded her 700th career strikeout. The Otters avenged an early-season 41-1 loss to the Slaters.
The Slaters took a 2-0 lead. In the first Bowen tripled and Cassidy Lanfear doubled her home. In the third Kassidy Mack singled and scored on an error. But OV hurler Morgan LaPorte, who allowed seven hits, steadied, and OV rallied.
In the sixth Gabby Poalino walked and Katie Coolidge and Shayla Phillips singled before Poalino and Coolidge scored on an error. In the seventh, Livia Bernhardt and Poalino singled and four runs scored on Slater miscues. Poalino had two of OV’s six hits, and Rhiana Carr had two hits for the Slaters.
On Thursday OV held on to defeated visiting Leland & Gray, 6-5. The Otters scored five in the first and were sparked by two hits apiece by Coolidge and Krista Wood. LaPorte surrendered 10 hits, but earned the win against the 11-5 visitors.